The present invention relates to improvements in fork lifts.
Fork lifting arrangements as found on specialised vehicles or fitted to tractors and the like can have inherent visibility problems for the operator when approaching a load to be lifted and relocated.
Often the vertical walls of the L-shaped fork can obscure the view of the surface and tip of the fork as it encounters the load pick up points. This loss of visual contact causes inaccuracy which can lead to damage to goods, dangerously positioning the articles to be moved, longer operational times and other factors.
A further problem encountered with fork lift arrangements, particularly when retrofitted to work vehicles such as tractors or trucks is the difficulty in removing the actual fork lift arrangement itself. It may be necessary for the fork lift/frame arrangement to be removed for servicing or storage or to be refitted at the rear of the vehicle or on another vehicle. Commonly a second fork lift vehicle must be used to lift the arrangement off the first vehicle in addition to intensive man-handling. Fitting a fork lift arrangement back on a vehicle can be even more tedious as holes must be accurately lined up for locating pins and bolts etc. which secure the arrangement in place.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fork lift construction whereby better visibility is achievable. The meeting of this objective will enable the forks and more preferably the fork tips to be more readily seen by the vehicle operator when approaching a load to be lifted.
In a broad aspect of the invention there is provided a fork lift tine construction including a tine and a tine mounting from which the tine extends, the tine mounting including at least one open area through which the distal end of the tine can be seen when viewed from that side of the tine mounting opposite to that from which the tine extends.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fork lift construction which can be removed from a host vehicle in a convenient manner.
In a second broad aspect of the invention there is provided a fork lift arrangement including a first pivoting member adapted to pivot from the fork lift arrangement said first member having a ground engagement means, a second member extending pivotally from a position in the length of the first member and adapted to be connectable with an actuator of the fork lift arrangement whereby the first member under control of the actuator applies a force to the first member to thereby cause fork lift arrangement to move from its mounting on a vehicle.